This Poll Defies Conventional Wisdom About Gun Control And The NRA

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A new poll conducted by Republican Party strategist and pollster Frank Luntz finds that, surprisingly, most NRA members and gun owners support more restrictive measures on gun ownership.

The poll was commissioned by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The poll, which surveyed 945 gun owners, was conducted in May, long before last Friday's horrific movie-theater shooting during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado. Still, some of the findings are pretty surprising:

87 percent of NRA members agree that support for Second Amendment rights goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.

"Gun owners and NRA members overwhelmingly support common sense steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, even as the NRA leadership continues to oppose them," Bloomberg said in a release announcing the poll results. "It's time for those in Washington - and those running for President - to stand with gun owning citizens who are concerned about public safety, rather than influence peddling lobbyists who are obsessed with ideology."

According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, 40 percent of all guns sales — at gun shows or between private individuals — don't pass background checks. But the NRA has opposed these as an invasion of privacy.